Thread: BIG new lawn bid

I've put in my share of new lawns before, but recently got a call to put in a new lawn from scratch on a parcel of ground that's about 1.8 acres! It's a 200x400 plot.<br>It is out in the country, & surrounded by cornfields. The area in question is gentle rolling terrain, with weeds & field growth like a pasture , about 50-50 visible growth, the rest visible dirt. growth is 3-5&quot; tall.<br>The house will sit in the middle, but that is immaterial at this point. The bid will be for the 200x400 plot for sake of round numbers.<br>Question is, will skid loaders with harley rakes be enough to remove top growth & plant new? I was thinking of 2 loaders with harley rakes, or maybe 1 with rake while other scoops up scrap & weeds. Will these be efficient enough, or would a small backhoe or tractor with york rake be needed? 2 acres of bare ground is BIG when you're standing in the middle of it. Any thoughts or experiences on how I can use the right tool for the job, & be time efficient?<br>Also, after reading various posts, I'm assuming it's best to tackle a project like that in dry weather, so's not to make a bloody mess & get equipment stuck, etc. If so, what's the best way to keep an area like that watered? The house will be in by then, & I'm assuming to use garden hose & multiple sprinklers. Thanks for your suggestions<p>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<br>

1 skidder and 1 harly power rake is plenty 1 day you can have that place looking good it will take out the overgrouth with ease i use mine all the time even if the weeds are 4 ft tall e mail any questions omerta17@aol

dont ig up the 2 acres of weeds! simply spray the entire area with roundup then put a thin layer of top soil.(thats where a skid streer will come in handy) if you try to dig up all those weeds chances are that you will leaves alot of rooys in the ground and they will sprout right back up through the nice new grass. as for watering i beleave its nelson that mower a sprinkler that can move around the yard using the hose as a trck and guide of where to go. there at least a few hundread for the bigger one but well worht the money. my neighbor used one for after they reseeded there acre lawn and it made it so easy... all they had to do was go out there once a day and lay the hose around the yard where they wanted the sprinklr to go and leave it.... the yard gets waderd without doing anything... the sprinkler moves so slow that it waters very deeply.

the ground will need to be prepped, because growth is sparse & last year's dead weed stalks need to be removed. Could I power rake it with the bobcat, then roundup the rest? I was hoping to put down soil ammendments, then seed & straw the same day if possible. <br>Also, will the bobcat scoop lift tall enough to put the rocks & debris in a dump truck to haul off? maybe I should have 1 ton dumps haul it away- their beds are shorter in hgt. Just trying not to overlook anything before I present the bid.<br>Thanks<p>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<br>

how about using a disc to till under the weeds you would also get better moisture holding. the most you could do with a rake is 4&quot; but with a disc you could till up 6&quot;-9' deep<p>----------<br>paul<br>

Yeah i second the disk, on rough work it can roll up and over big roots and rocks where a tiller or harley would cause problems. Then go over it with a tiller to till in any amendments and youll get a good seed bed. I also think disking it is a little faster

On spreading dirt you would need 145 cu. yds. of topsoil to cover 1&quot; deep. The seed would start fine but root growth would be limited until it broke thru the subsoil. still thinking discing then grading with harly would be best then seed using a Brillion seeder or Land Pride seeder two ways. use a good starter fertlizer (we use 6-24-24) straw and crimp straw in place. Could also be hydoseeded but would still use a seeder to place seed into soil. depending on the rough grading you could prep the place in one day unless excavator leaves holes thru out the job that you would have to fill. next day to seed and straw mulch.<p>----------<br>paul<br>